Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she had with her international counterparts on best practice for mathematics teaching; and if she will make a statement.

My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, is committed to raising standards in maths education by learning from the leading systems in the world. However, she is yet to meet with her international counterparts specifically to discuss best practice for mathematics teaching.

The Department for Education has adopted an evidence-based approach to our reform programme by studying what works in the highest performing and most improved education systems, such as Singapore and Shanghai. We have sought to implement the essence of those policies here.

At primary, our new national curriculum for maths has been inspired by these leading East Asian nations and focuses on building firm foundations and developing fluency so that pupils are able to recall and apply their knowledge as their understanding develops.

We have launched a national network of 34 Maths Hubs, through which we are running the Mathematics Teacher Exchange Programme – England/China. This programme will develop a deep understanding of the Shanghai-style ‘mastery’ approach to maths teaching and trial its implementation within schools.

There is also clear evidence that points to the use of textbooks as a crucial element of the mastery approach. The 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study - an international comparison of maths and science teaching – found that in high-performing nations like Singapore, 70% of maths teachers use a textbook as a basis for instruction, whereas in England, only 10% do. That is why, from January 2015, all Maths Hubs will be participating in a project to assess whether a mastery approach to teaching supported by a high-quality textbook can be used to drive up the quality of primary maths teaching.